There’s Bacterial Poop Living in Your Pipes

You hop into the shower to get squeaky clean right? But it turns out there’s a lot more bacteria lurking in your shower than you think!

Scientists say that as water passes through pipes in general and shower heads in particular biofilm builds up. This stuff, which is essentially gunk, is basically poop from bacteria attempting to protect itself from the hostile conditions of the pipe it lives in. Generally this biofilm stays in your pipes, but when the water pressure is high enough the biofilm and bacteria is let loose and shot out through your showerhead and onto your body. In some areas of the world this biofilm is making people sick, specifically with a strain of bacteria associated with tuberculosis, and not the strain that we have antibiotics for. So far, the risk of infections due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria is only high for those with compromised immune systems, those who have an unusual lung architecture, and people with cystic fibrosis. In some regions of the U.S., like California and Florida, infections are common, but in others, such as Michigan, they are rare. The good news a little soap lather will help. Get a deeper look at the subject line with this article from (The Atlantic).

And if you are looking for a way to clean out the shower head see the video below. Keep in mind, considering our subject of what’s inside the head, you might want to twist it off and soak it for a while.